Lead by example

By JoANN REY West Texas Family Medicine

Published 4:57 am, Tuesday, March 17, 2015

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JoAnn Rey

JoAnn Rey

Lead by example

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There are several positions a person can be in that have the potential to be very difficult. One of those positions is being a supervisor. If you are a supervisor, that probably means you have extensive and valuable experience in your line of work and that experience is used to lead and guide others into becoming knowledgeable, productive employees.

I myself am not a supervisor but I have had many -- some good, some bad. I would always expect my supervisor to know more than I do in the position I am in, in case I have questions or need advice or guidance. Let's face it, we all need to be able to ask questions when we are not sure what to do or need help with something and who better to ask than your supervisor.

I found some really good articles on the Iabout what defines a good supervisor. Before I share those with you, I want to share a couple of opinions of my own on good and bad supervisors.

I think a good supervisor should be able to follow their own rules. If a supervisor enforces deadlines, office hours, dress code, meetings, etc., then the supervisor should also abide by the same rules. One characteristic of a bad supervisor is telling one of their employees what a good job they do, but then turn around and tell someone else how much trouble they have with that employee.

Below are some of the things I found on the Internet about good supervisors, followed by quotes.

1.Don't ask others to do what you can't or won't. This is a big one. It mattered 2,000 years ago when kings led soldiers into battle at the front of their armies, and it still matters today. We're human, and this one won't ever go out of style.

"Setting an example is not the main means of influencing others, it is the only means." -- Albert Einstein

2.To be a great leader, you have to be a great follower. How can you expect people to do what you ask them if you bristle when others ask you to do things? People notice this. No one follows a poor follower just because they've been promoted into a "management" or "leadership" role. Leaders and followers sometimes need to switch roles. An adaptable person needs to have all bases covered. Follow as if your turn to lead is just around the corner. Lead like your turn to follow is coming soon. -- "He who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commander." -- Aristotle

3. Demonstrate self-command. You must be able to lead yourself before you can lead others. Don't expect others to arrive on time if you don't do it yourself. Be on time, be organized, and be ready. -- "What you are speaks so loudly, I can't hear what you're saying." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

4.Deliver value through your actions first; your words, if they are even needed at that point, can follow later. Think about this: We don't need words to lead. People follow behavior. If we consistently project the right behavior, people will notice, form an opinion, make their judgment, and follow our lead. Mother Theresa of Calcutta did not lead her life-saving team because she was fluent in the many Indian dialects in the Calcutta slums. She arrived, rolled up her sleeves, put herself in great physical danger through her hands-on care of the sick and contagious, and went to work. Those are actions, and many people followed her example because of those actions. - "Not the cry, but the flight, of a wild duck leads the flock to fly and follow." -- Chinese proverb

There were actually several more of these but I think everyone gets the message. Supervisors, your employees watch you whether you think they do or not. You cannot supervise people by having the attitude of "do as I say, not as I do." If your employees are busting their humps out there and you are sitting in your office on the Internet or on your phone, or even worse, missing in action. Don't think it will not go unnoticed.

Take care and God bless.

JoAnn Rey is a Licensed Professional Counselor with West Texas Family Medicine.